St Teresa & St John Southworth Churches, Cleveleys
Fr Chris Cousens—Phone: 853340
Rev Bernard Ward (Deacon) (Tel: 858346)
Enquiries for St John Southworth: Phone: 853340
1 October 2023
http://www.st-teresas-church.co.uk
Email: st.teresas.cleveleys@gmail.com
Lancaster Roman Catholic Diocesan Trustees Registered Charity Number 23433
Sunday : The 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Contents: Gospel
Notices
Reflections for the coming week
Gospel:
Matthew: 21:28-32
Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people, ‘What is your opinion? A man had two sons. He went and said to the first, “My boy, you go and work in the vineyard today.” He answered, “I will not go”, but afterwards thought better of it and went. The man then went and said the same thing to the second who answered, “Certainly, sir”, but did not go. Which of the two did the father’s will.?” ‘The first’ they said. Jesus said to them, ‘I tell you solemnly, tax collectors and prostitutes are making their way into the Kingdom of God before you. For John came to you, a pattern of true righteousness, but you did not believe him, and yet the tax collectors and prostitutes did. Even after seeing that you refused to think better of it and believe in him.’
Gospel Reflection : “What You See Is What You Get “
“Words are cheap.” “Put your money where your mouth is.” “Don’t promise what you can’t deliver.”
Everyday sayings. Common sense you might say. Surely there was no need for a divine revelation to state the obvious? No need for the Son of God to become a human being to utter platitudes?
But Jesus is always telling us about God as well as ourselves, and that is not obvious; in fact it is often mysterious.
What you and I see about God, how we see Him, is what we get. So it is so important to hear what Jesus says and follow the way he lives with all types of people, because that is what God is like for us, and how we can and should be for others
Our Christian Religion then is more than a rule book, more than a catechism, more than a creed. It is, rather, a way of life lived in the company of Jesus and our fellow human beings – a shared life. Not my life, but ours.
We Remember In Our Prayers Freya Coppen whose Funeral was last week, Aubrey Atherton whose Funeral is at Carleton Crematorium on Wednesday 4th October at 2 pm and Maureen Wilson whose Funeral Service is at St Teresa’s on Friday, 20 October at 10 am. We remember them, and their families. May they all be in God’s love and peace.
The St. Vincent de Paul Society (SVP) take their regular collection this weekend at St. Teresa’s, for ‘those in need locally’.
Next Friday, 6th October Is The Annual CAFOD Harvest Fast Day. In preparation for that Sue Ward, the CADOD representative for both our parishes, will be speaking at each of the Masses this weekend, 30th September/1st October, and distributing the Harvest Fast envelopes.
CAFOD Writes To Us : “Your ongoing support and prayers enable us to stand in solidarity with our sisters and brothers to tackle poverty and injustice throughout the world. You enable us to support local partners and provide much needed emergency assistance to the most vulnerable communities. In the Pakistan floods of 2022, our response, which is ongoing, has included support for five mobile health clinics which have treated 95,000 patients, and educated 30,000 on disease prevention.
Dr.Nasha’s mobile clinic gets life-saving help to where it is needed most, and fast – so when her team arrived in Meera’s village in Pakistan, after it had been destroyed by flooding, Meera rushed to the clinic to get her children the treatment they needed.
Please donate to CAFOD through this year’s Harvest Day Appeal, as you always do, so that more families can get the expert help they need.”
This Monday, 2nd October, Our School Children And Staff Celebrate Harvest, And The Feast of St. Teresa, At The 9.30 am Mass In Church All are very welcome
There Is A Day Of Renewal On Saturday 14th October, 10 am – 4 pm, at St. Clare’s Church, Sharoe Green Lane, Fulwood, Preston. PR2 9HH. The day, with the title ‘Hearing the Heart of Mary in Scripture’, starts with Mass at 10 am, and is led by Brother Jonathan of the Friars of Renewal, of St. Pio Friary, Bradford. Please bring a packed lunch. Tea and coffee are available.
The ‘Hub in the Hall’ Meetings take place in St. Teresa’s Church Hall each Wednesday, 2 pm – 4 pm. All are very welcome.
The Church Shop, in the porch at St. Teresa’s, is open before and after each Weekend Mass. You are very welcome to go in and browse.
The Food Pantry At St. Teresa’s Church is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 10.30 am – 12 noon, and on Wednesdays, 2.30 pm – 4 pm
There Is A Table Top Sale in St. Teresa’s Parish Hall on Saturday, 21st October, 11. am – 1.pm. Table hire is available for only £10. For more information please contact Sue on 07889 532158
CAFOD Harvest Prayer 2023. “Seeds of Hope”
Generous God, we thank you for the gifts you have given
for all people to share. We plant seeds of hope,
and nurture them as we seek a harvest of plenty for all.
Forgive us for the times these seeds fail to take root in our hearts.
We grieve when homes and crops are washed away by floods,
when lives are uprooted by disaster, or trampled by fear or greed.
Living God, you lead us to a new way of being.
Move us to help one another in our times of need,
to care for the earth and to love one another,
sharing your harvest with all. Amen. Catherine Gorman/CAFOD
Daily Reflections for this week
Monday (Carlo Carretto)
That evening I had seen an old man trembling with cold. I thought of the night and I knew that I, too, would shiver. The little charity that was in me made me think that I had best give him my spare blanket. When I left the village, the blankets were still on the jeep. To have resisted love, not to have been capable of accepting the demand of this love is so serious that it creates an obstacle between me and God. What is the good of defending the truth, of fighting over dogma, of saying the Divine Office well, of sharing the Eucharist, if one is not impelled by love?
Scripture (Matthew 21:28-32)
Jesus said to the chief priests and elders, “A man said to his first son, ‘Go and work in the vineyard today.’ He answered, ‘I will not go,’ but later thought better of it and went. The man then went and said the same thing to his second son who answered, ‘Certainly, sir,’ but he did not go. Which of the two did the father’s will?” “The first,” they answered. Jesus said, “I tell you solemnly, tax collectors and prostitutes are making their way into the Kingdom of God before you.”
Tuesday (Cardinal Newman)
While we think of Christ, let us not forget to be up and doing. Let us beware of indulging a mere barren faith and love, which dreams instead of working and is fastidious when it should be hardy. This is only spiritual childhood in another form; for the Holy Spirit is the author of active good works, and leads to the observance of all lowly deeds of ordinary obedience as the most pleasing sacrifice to God.
Scripture (Micah 6:6-8)
With what shall I enter Yahweh’s presence and bow down before God All-high? Shall I enter with burnt offerings, with calves one year old? Shall I offer my eldest son for my wrong doing? “You have already been told what is right and what Yahweh wants of you. Only this; to do what is right, to love loyalty and to walk humbly with your God.”
Wednesday (Charles Peguy)
God speaks:
A salvation that was not free, that did not come from a free person, could not in any way be attractive to me. How do you expect me to be interested in that kind of thing? Does one care to be loved by slaves? In my creation which is endued with life, I wanted something better, I wanted something more. When you once have known what it is to be loved freely, submission no longer has any taste. All the prostrations, all the submission in the world are not equal in value to the beautiful straight soaring up of one single invocation from a love that is free.
Scripture (1John 3:18-24)
Children, our love must be not just words or mere talk, but something active and genuine. This will be the proof that we belong to the truth and it will convince us in his presence even if our own feelings condemn us, that God is greater than our feelings and knows all things. My dear friends, if our own
feelings do not condemn us, we can be fearless before God
because we keep his commandments and do what is acceptable to him. Whoever keeps his commandments remains in God and God in him.
Thursday (Brother Lawrence)
We must, during all our labour and in all else we do, even in our reading and writing, holy though both may be – I say more, even during our formal devotions, and spoken prayers – pause for some short moment, to worship God in the depth of our heart. Since you know that God is present before you whatever you are doing, that he is at the depth and centre of your soul, why not then pause from time to time at least from that which occupies you outwardly, even from your spoken prayers, to worship him inwardly. All these acts of worship must arise from faith, and the belief that in truth God is in our hearts; that we must worship him, love him and serve him in spirit and in truth.
Scripture (Luke 18:10-14)
A Pharisee and a tax-collector went up to the Temple to pray. The Pharisee stood there and said this prayer to himself, “ I thank you Lord that I am not grasping, unjust, adulterous like everyone else, especially like this tax-collector here. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes on all I get.” The tax-collector stood some distance away , not daring even to raise his eyes to heaven; but he beat his breast and said, God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” This man, I tell you went home again, justified; the other did not.
Friday (Caryll Houselander)
In life there are many secret resurrections. In our sin, we are the tombs in which Christ lies dead, but at the first movement of sorrow for sin he rises from the dead in us, the life of the world is renewed by our sorrow. It is not just the poor sinner licking his wounds and limping on, crippled by the past; it is Christ risen, alive, whole. There is no place he will not come: prisons, hospitals, schools, camps, cathedrals and little tin churches; he comes to them all.
Scripture (Galatians 2:16, 19-20)
We have learned that someone is reckoned as upright not by practising the Law but by faith in Jesus Christ; and we, too, came to believe in Christ Jesus so as to be reckoned as upright by faith in Christ, not by practising the Law: since no human can be found upright by keeping the Law. I have been crucified with Christ and yet I am alive; yet it is no longer I , but Christ living in me. The life that I am now living, subject to the limitations of human nature, I am living in faith, faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.
Martin Bennett